Track Smack: Change good for Mears, not so for quals

1. Three weekends, three qualifying rainouts. Should NASCAR allow for more flexibility in its event schedule to ensure that cars qualify on speed?

David Caraviello: See, here's why you can't award championship points for qualifying -- because it's too susceptible to weather. And when track time is tight, these guys need practice, practice, practice, first and foremost.

Joe Menzer: On the surface, you want to say yes. But how do you do that without the risk of stretching the weekend out too long or taking away practice time that the drivers obviously feel is more valuable?

Raygan Swan: I believe more flexibility could be added. I mean, Chase drivers need to have a chance to gain some advantage in qualifying.

David Caraviello: Standalone qualifying is a product of racetrack promoters who want to stretch what should be a two-day weekend to three. Nine times out of 10 it's unnecessary anyway. Seriously, how many times has it been rained out this year, 10? And has that had any kind of effect on the title race or the top 35? Not really. Because all those guys are in the same respective boats anyway. And I'll be honest, setting the field on points sometimes promises a better show because all the top guns are up front.

Joe Menzer: Let's be honest. How many tracks are there where qualifying really makes that much of a difference anyway? Maybe a handful? Martinsville, for one, because there aren't many good pit stalls. You want to start up front there and have that great pit stall for the duration of the race. But there aren't many others, are there?

David Caraviello: OK, Joe, I will give you the pit stall argument. But that shows how ridiculous this all has become. So qualifying isn't about where you start, it's about where you pit? Let it rain, baby.

Joe Menzer: Well, we're proving today that honesty is the best policy. Anything you want to come clean on, Raygs?

Raygan Swan: At least qualifying lets the non-Chasers get some TV time, I guess. Other than that, I'm with David.

David Caraviello: Hey, I know people love it. When I used to work for a newspaper, we'd get 100 calls on Friday afternoon -- who won the pole? Of course, many of those folks wanted to know for betting or fantasy reasons.

Raygan Swan: I do hope it doesn't rain so I can see Joey Logano in the No. 02 this weekend at Texas, at least. That's a bright side of qualifying, seeing new drivers outside the Top 35 qualify on time.

"Trust me, we don't look that bad."

Rain, rain go away

Ten times this season rain has washed out qualifying and while most drivers agree something needs to be done -- none are real sure exactly what that is.

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David Caraviello: Raygan, I will give you that. And sometimes the rain knocks out very deserving teams. I think of the Wood Brothers at first Bristol, or Scott Speed trying to make his first start at Charlotte. For those guys, it truly stinks.

Joe Menzer: The bottom line is that despite those who whine about wanting to change it, there realistically is not that much they can do. Tracks set their schedules, and they're jam-packed most weekends. The only way to run make-up qualifying then would be to sacrifice practice time, which is more important.

Raygan Swan: What about more sophisticated Doppler equipment? Get Larry Sprinkle in there to do the weather. Yeah, for real, the name of a weather forecaster in Charlotte is Larry Sprinkle.

Joe Menzer: With a name like Sprinkle, you know he was born to forecast weather. (Doesn't his station use that in a shameless promotional bit?)

David Caraviello: Is the sports guy Nicky Touchdown?

Raygan Swan: Ha! Let me check.

Joe Menzer: Honestly, I'm just trying to sprinkle a little truth on this conversation. Qualifying is flawed and overrated, but TV I guess likes it, so do some fans, and it's not going to change.

David Caraviello: I will say that the top 35 knockout format is rather fun to watch. But that's the only part of qualifying that's truly dramatic, unless someone comes out of nowhere to win the pole -- which rarely happens, unless we're at someplace crazy like Talladega.

Raygan Swan: At my old paper in Kokomo they called me Ride-Along Raygan, because I spent a day on a fire truck, then the animal control truck.

Joe Menzer: Ride-Along Raygan ... now there's a nickname that we should make stick!

David Caraviello: Beats Raygan Sprinkles.

Joe Menzer: If Raygan rode along with one of the drivers for two laps of qualifying at Talladega, she'd probably fall asleep.

Raygan Swan: I would, but once I did it with Kyle Petty at Lowe's Motor Speedway and thought I was going to barf, honestly.

David Caraviello: Watching one of the drivers make two laps at Talladega makes you fall asleep.

Joe Menzer: You've heard of the 24 hours of Le Mans? Watching that at Talladega is like watching the 24 Hours of Qualifying! (Continued)